Terrorists struck in the Kathua district yet again with an attack on a joint patrol of security forces covering the remote Badnota region of the district. The attack left five army personnel dead and five more injured.
This is the fourth terror-related incident of violence in the state within 48 hours and part of a series of such attacks over the past month or so. A day after the attack in Kathua an encounter was reported in the Doda district in the foothills of the Pir Panjal range.
A day earlier six terrorists were killed across two separate encounters in Kulgam district of South Kashmir. The encounters also claimed the lives of two soldiers. A month earlier, on 9 June, terrorists had killed nine persons and injured 33 in Reasi who were part of a party going on a religious pilgrimage.
The terrorist attack in Reasi on 9 June coincided with the swearing-in ceremony, in New Delhi, of Narendra Modi as prime minister of India for a record third time. The recent Kathua attack also coincided with the death anniversary of Burhan Wani, a poster boy of the Hizhul Mujahideen who was killed in South Kashmir on 8 July 2016.
By choosing significant dates for attacks and by increasing terrorist activity in the area South of the Pir Panjal mountain range, the terror mongers based in Pakistan are sending clear messages to India.
The first message is that they hold the capacity to strike at a time and place of their choosing. The second message is that the area south of the Pir Panjal that had been declared free of terrorist activity by the Indian Army about a decade earlier has been reactivated with strength.
From foreign terrorists crossing the LoC and leading the attacks, what is visible now is a trend to push local militants to the forefront to give the violent activity a more home-grown face as international pressure has mounted on Pakistan. New terror groups have also come up claiming to be behind some of the attacks. These aspects present new challenges.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed deep anguish over the killing of the soldiers and asserted that the armed forces are determined to usher in peace in the region. “I am deeply anguished at the loss of five of our brave Indian Army Soldiers in a terrorist attack in Badnota, Kathua (J&K),” said the defence minister on the social media platform twitter (now X). His statement falls short of giving a warning to Pakistan.
The job of giving a warning was left to the Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane. “Their selfless service to the nation will always be remembered and their sacrifice will not go unavenged and India will defeat the evil forces behind the attack,” said Aramane on the social media platform X as shared by a spokesperson of the defence ministry.
Surprisingly, no statement has emanated from the media set-up of the Indian army except for a small condolence message on the twitter (now X) handle of its Additional Directorate General, Public Information (ADGPI). The newly appointed Chief of Army Staff has chosen to remain silent.
The opposition, on the other hand, is vociferous in its demand for action. The leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has said that the answer to continuous terrorist attacks had to be strict action and not “hollow speeches and false promises.” “This cowardly attack on our Army personnel is extremely condemnable. The thing of concern is that it is the 5th attack in a month,’ said Congress Member of Parliament Deepender Singh Hooda.
The forgoing gives an indication that the government is not ready to open its cards about the options that are be considered as a response to the growing cult of violence and terrorism in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir where terrorists are successfully demonstrating, once more, their presence and capability to strike in all parts of the UT. In particular, silence is being maintained about the strategy to deal with Pakistan.
The recent surge in terror attacks in the Jammu division is a matter to be deeply concerned about. Recurring incidents of security forces being ambushed have resulted in casualties, which is unacceptable for a highly trained and professional force like the Indian Army. This calls for stricter adherence to standard operating procedures and improved operations.
There is a need to look for the gaps in local intelligence and bridge the same with alacrity. Also, technology is helping terrorists plan their attacks and strike with precision. It is an aspect that cannot be ignored.
The situation, however, is not new. Such sudden escalation in the Jammu region with high casualty levels has been seen earlier also. In 2002, the Jammu region witnessed what is called the Kaluchak massacre, in which three militants attacked a Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus and killed seven people. The terrorists then entered the family quarter of the Army and fired indiscriminately at the inmates, killing 23 persons, including 10 children, eight women and five Army men.
In September, 2013, three heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists attacked a police station in Hiranagar and an Army camp in Kathua and Samba, killing 10 people, including four policemen and an Army officer.
In March 2014, Pakistan sponsored terrorists struck in Kathua killing two civilians and one Army personnel. Three terrorists were eliminated by security forces in an over 10-hour long gun battle. This was the second major terror attack in Kathua district after the 2013 incident.
In 2015 the cycle of violence witnessed yet another deadly terror attack at Kathua, on March, 20, days after the Mufti led coalition government took oath of office and Mufti made public his policy of appeasement. In this attack four people including three policemen were killed.
On 10 February 2018, at predawn, Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists attacked an Indian Army camp in Sunjuwan, Jammu, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Six soldiers, three attackers and one civilian were killed and 20 injured including 14 soldiers, and five women and children
The above and other incidents of violence in the specific region of Kathua and outskirts of Jammu are a chilling reminder of the determination of the inimical forces to keep the flame of terrorism alive in all parts of Jammu and Kashmir. They are a clear indication that the terror masters sitting abroad are attempting to find new, innovative methods to keep the spark of terror alive in the whole of J&K.
Pakistan is going through a rough patch. Power continues to be concentrated in the hands of the Army, but the organisation itself stands weakened. Power, therefore, is slowly flowing into the hands of fundamentalist and extra-constitutional entities due to the complicity of the Pakistan army. The government is being relegated to the side-lines.
The tragic incidents of terror taking place in Jammu and Kashmir are a reminder that after over four decades Pakistan is unwilling to relent from its nefarious activities. India continues to suffer Pakistan-sponsored terror despite numerous peace initiatives. After 10 years of avowed muscularity our goal to put an end to terror in J&K remains unaccomplished.
It is not without reason that security experts and other sane voices are in agreement that the time is yet not right in Jammu and Kashmir for any change in the security paradigm and that tinkering with the AFSPA or suggesting other such options will have grave security implications.
